iWant iStrive
Dreamer
Something I've been pondering over the last few days is whether being a great writer can actually make a book less popular. My reasons for this thinking are thus; I'm far from a great writer and in the past have not read a lot either. I'm pretty average I think in terms of vocabulary and comprehension and have tried to read many books in the past but been put off by what was in my opinion and overly elaborate writing style.
I then think about the most popular books to have been released in the last decade. Very few of them are considered 'well-written' in the literary community yet, to take the example of Harry Potter, the simple writing style and avoidance of long words and complicated language have actually been beneficial as it has been opened up to a far wider audience.
Now I appreciate a well written book as much as the next person, but I feel my immersion in a story often suffers when the author is too elaborate or verbose. So my theory is that it's actually better to have a fantastic story and characters, and to write it in a simple way: a way which may not be considered "great" but is good enough to be enjoyed by the average person on the street.
What are other people's views?
I then think about the most popular books to have been released in the last decade. Very few of them are considered 'well-written' in the literary community yet, to take the example of Harry Potter, the simple writing style and avoidance of long words and complicated language have actually been beneficial as it has been opened up to a far wider audience.
Now I appreciate a well written book as much as the next person, but I feel my immersion in a story often suffers when the author is too elaborate or verbose. So my theory is that it's actually better to have a fantastic story and characters, and to write it in a simple way: a way which may not be considered "great" but is good enough to be enjoyed by the average person on the street.
What are other people's views?